In today’s episode of Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller unpacks Matthew 18:1–5 from The Message, where the disciples ask Jesus who ranks highest in God’s kingdom—and receive a surprising answer in the form of a child. Dr. Brad explores how Jesus demolishes our obsession with ladders, status, and hierarchy, and instead calls us to “get low” and embrace a childlike posture of humility, simplicity, and open-hearted curiosity. Along the way, he contrasts empire-style power with kingdom values, reflects on his own granddaughters as living examples of honest wonder, and offers a practical action step: literally or metaphorically get down on a child’s level, ask a real question, and simply listen. The episode closes with a focused prayer and an invitation to deepen your study through the ABC 123 Bible Study Method and to join the mission of bringing the audible word of God to a million people by 2028.
Key Takeaways
- Kingdom rank flips human rank – The disciples ask who is greatest, but Jesus responds by placing a child in their midst, showing that true greatness in God’s kingdom is found in humility, not hierarchy.
- The kingdom is a floor, not a ladder – Dr. Brad emphasizes that while our cultures and institutions reward those who climb higher, Jesus calls us to go lower, trading status-seeking for servant-heartedness.
- Childlikeness is not naivety – Being “simple and elemental” doesn’t mean being gullible; it means laying down the armor of image, defensiveness, and the need to win or be impressive.
- We trade wonder for image as we grow up – Children freely ask “why” without worrying how they look, but many adults lose that open-handed curiosity in favor of managing their reputations.
- A practical step toward humility – The episode centers on a tangible action step: physically or metaphorically get on a child’s level, ask one genuine question, and listen without correcting, as a spiritual discipline of posture and presence.
Links referenced in this episode:
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available every day at VoiceofGodDaily.com on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast directories.
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Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
